Aviation News – Two aircrew members were killed after an aircraft’s ejection seats unintentionally activated inside a shelter at a Russian bomber aviation regiment on December 7, 2025, highlighting a rare but dangerous ground safety failure.
The incident occurred when the two-seater aircraft was parked inside a protective structure and its ejection system unexpectedly fired, propelling the pilot and navigator into the shelter’s roof. Both sustained life-threatening injuries. The event has prompted an official investigation within the regiment and renewed scrutiny of ejection seat safety across Russia’s aviation units.
Ejection seats are designed to save aircrew by firing an explosive charge that launches the seat clear of the aircraft in emergencies. When activated on the ground, however, the bolt of force created by the system becomes hazardous, lacking sufficient clearance for a safe trajectory and exposing crew to extreme impact injuries.
Photo Rob Vogelaar
